No evidence for an evolutionary trade-off between learning and immunity in a social insect.
The immune response affects learning and memory in insects. Given this and the known fitness costs of both the immune system and learning, does an evolutionary trade-off exist between these two systems? We tested this by measuring the learning ability of 12 bumble-bee (Bombus terrestris) colonies in a free-flying paradigm. We then tested their immune response using the zone of inhibition assay. We found a positive relationship between colony learning performance and immune response, that is, fast-learning colonies also show high levels of antimicrobial activity. We conclude that there is no a priori reason to demand an evolutionary relationship between two traits that are linked physiologically.
Alghamdi
A
A
Biology Department, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
Raine
N E
NE
Rosato
E
E
Mallon
E B
EB
D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology*; D005075:Biological Evolution; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000235:genetics*; D007858:Learning; D012919:Social Behavior